Jack Draper’s Wimbledon run came to an abrupt halt following his defeat to Marin Cilic.
The 23-year-old gave British fans plenty of optimism for success at the All-England club due to his seeding of number four.
This meant he avoided facing Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner before the semi-finals, but Draper’s path to the last four was a very difficult one.
Facing a dangerous opponent such as Marin Cilic early in a Grand Slam is a huge obstacle for any player, but it is one Draper was unable to overcome.
Todd Woodbridge thinks Jack Draper is more likely to win the US Open than Wimbledon
Jack Draper is trying to become the first British man since Andy Murray to win a Grand Slam title.
But his wait continues after being knocked out of the Wimbledon Championships by Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion.
Speaking of the New York-based Grand Slam, 22-time doubles Grand Slam winner Todd Woodbridge thinks Draper is more likely to lift the title at Flushing Meadows than his home Slam of Wimbledon.
“There is a possibility [that the US Open is more likely]. A lot of that comes with that you don’t have to deal with all of this, where we break his game down. He can go to that tournament and be a little bit more relaxed,” Woodbridge told BBC about Draper, who reached the 2024 US Open semi-finals.
“He can wander around Manhattan every day and nobody knows who he is. Here we watch him fill up his tank with petrol and there is so much focus. I think he handles that really well actually and he will continue to handle that well.
“I think at the end of the day there is still work to be done. You get to four in the world and there is still so much you can improve. I think he can go well here. It wasn’t a great draw in the end.
“You look at the draw and see that Cilic is experienced, a Grand Slam champion, someone who is on the comeback and has played a lot of matches this year. It’s disappointing but he can hold his head high.”
Jack Draper says he ‘couldn’t find the level he wanted’ after his loss to Martin Cilic at Wimbledon
Draper is now carrying the mantle left by Murray, as the next big thing in British tennis.
2025 marked the first time he entered Wimbledon with plenty of hope and expectation on having a deep run or even becoming the champion.
Despite Draper’s comfortable first round win, he was ultimately unable to deliver on the buzz and hype around him at SW19, with the fourth seed even admitting that he lost to the better player on the day.
“It makes me think that Andy’s achievement of what he did, winning here twice, was just unbelievable,” Draper said.
“I wasn’t going out there thinking I was under so much pressure. I just didn’t play good enough today. I lost to a better player. I wasn’t able to find the level I wanted.”
